Non-contact power feeding device

ABSTRACT

A non-contact power feeding device includes multiple power feeding elements that are disposed spatially separated from one another in a movement direction, an AC power supply that supplies AC power to the power feeding elements, multiple power receiving elements that are provided in a moving body and that receive AC power in a non-contact manner, and a power receiving circuit that converts the AC power received by the power receiving elements and that outputs to an electrical load. When a length of the power feeding elements in the movement, direction is LT, a separation distance between the power feeding elements is DT, a length of the power receiving elements in the movement direction is LR, and a separation distance between the power receiving elements is DR, the relationship DT≤DR and the relationship (2×LR+DR)≤LT are satisfied.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Application No. 15/753,204,filed Feb. 16, 2018, which is a national stage of InternationalApplication No. PCT/JP2015/076694, filed Sep. 18, 2015. Theabove-identified applications are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a non-contact power feeding device thatfeeds power in a non-contact manner from a fixed section to a movingbody, and, more specifically, relates to performance stabilization ofnon-contact power feeding.

BACKGROUND ART

A solder printing machine, a component mounting machine, a reflowmachine, a board inspection machine, and the like, are examples of boardproduction machines that produce boards on which multiple components aremounted. Generally, a board production line is configured by linkingsuch equipment. Furthermore, there are many cases in which a boardproduction line is configured by linearly arranging modularized boardproduction machines of the same size. As a result of the use ofmodularized board production machines, setup changing work duringrearrangement of a line and during expansion for increasing the size ofa line is facilitated, and a flexible board production line is realized.

In recent years, the promotion of labor-saving efforts and automation byconveying the equipment and members used in each board productionmachine of a board production line to a moving body, which moves alongthe board production line, has been examined. Furthermore, non-contactpower feeding devices have been considered as power feeding means to amoving body. Additionally, applications of non-contact power feedingdevices are not limited to board production lines, and are presentthroughout a broad range of fields such as assembly lines and processinglines that produce other products, and power feeding during travel of anelectrically driven vehicle. Technical examples relating to suchnon-contact power feeding devices are disclosed in PTLs 1 and 2.

The moving power feeding-type non-contact power feeding device of PTL 1is a device that supplies power from a stationary power transmissioncoil to a moving power receiving coil in a non-contact manner. The powertransmission coil has a looped form that is long in a movement directionand crossed in the middle to form multiple units whose magnetic fieldsare alternately reversed, and multiple power receiving coils aredisposed at an interval. In addition, it is preferable that a size C oftwo power receiving coils in the movement direction and an interval dtherebetween satisfy the inequality d≥C/2. Furthermore, it is preferablethat a size L of a unit of a power transmission coil in the movementdirection satisfy the inequality L≥C+d. As a result of this, thedocument indicates that the generation of a pulsing motion in which thereceived power is periodically momentarily zero is reliably prevented.

In addition, the system for non-contact power feeding system duringtraveling of PTL 2 is a system that feeds AC power in a non-contactmanner from multiple primary-side power feeding transformers on a groundside to a secondary side power feeding transformer of a moving body, andthe primary-side power feeding transformers and the secondary-side powerfeeding transformer are composed of double-sided winding coils. Further,when a dimension of the magnetic poles of the primary-side power feedingtransformers is defined as D, a center-to-center distance of adjacentprimary-side power feeding transformers does not exceed 3D. Furthermore,the document indicates an aspect in which the plurality of primary-sidepower feeding transformers are connected in series to a high-frequencypower supply. The document indicates that, according to thisconfiguration, even if the primary-side power feeding transformers aredisposed in stepping stone form, interruption of the power feeding tothe secondary-side power feeding transformer does not occur.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

PTL 1: JP-A-2014-53984

PTL 2: JP-A-2014-147160

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

It should be noted that in the technique of PTL 1, a so-called“straddled power receiving state” time slot in which two power receivingcoils both straddle a boundary of two units of power transmission coilscan occur. In this time slot, since the magnetic fields of two unitsthat are interlinked with the power receiving coils negate one another,the received power is reduced greatly without reaching zero, and a largepulsing motion can occur. If a large pulsing motion occurs in thereceived power, there is a concern that it will no longer be possible todrive an electrical load of the moving body side. In addition, since theentirety of the long looped form power transmission coil is charged atall times, an increase in the size of a power supply device and anincrease in loss due to leakage flux are inevitable.

The above-mentioned problems of a reduction in the received power, anincrease in the size of the power supply device and increased loss alsoapply to the technique of PTL 2. That is, there is a separation distanceof 2D between adjacent primary-side power feeding transformers, and thereceived power is reduced and a pulsing motion occurs when thesecondary-side power feeding transformer is moved in the region of theseparation distance. In order to reduce the effect of the pulsingmotion, a feature of using a power accumulating element (battery) and acharging circuit is disclosed in an embodiment of PTL 2. Such aconfiguration leads to an increase in the weight of the moving body, andtherefore, the motive power required for movement is increased. Inaddition, if multiple primary-side power feeding transformers areconnected in series to a high-frequency power supply, there is anincrease in the size of the high-frequency power supply and there is anincrease in the loss thereof.

The present invention has been devised in the light of theabove-mentioned problems of the background art, and an object of thepresent invention is to provide a non-contact power feeding devicecapable of performing stable non-contact power feeding at all times bysuppressing a pulsing motion in AC power that is received.

Solution to Problem

A non-contact power feeding device of the present invention that solvesthe above-mentioned problems is provided with a plurality of powerfeeding elements that are disposed spatially separated from one anotherin a movement direction set in a fixed section, an AC power supply thatsupplies AC power to the power feeding elements, a power receivingelement that is provided in a moving body, which moves in the movementdirection, that is electrically coupled to the power feeding elementsthat are positioned in an opposing manner, and that receives AC power ina non-contact manner, and a power receiving circuit that converts ACpower received by the power receiving element, and that generates adrive voltage and outputs the drive voltage to an electrical loadprovided in the moving body, in which a plurality of the power receivingelements are disposed spatially separated from one another in themovement direction of the moving body, and when a length of the powerfeeding elements in the movement direction is defined as LT, aseparation distance between the power feeding elements is defined as DT,a length of the power receiving elements in the movement direction isdefined as LR, and a separation distance between the power receivingelements is defined as DR, the relationship DT≤DR and the relationship(2×LR+DR)≤LT are satisfied.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

In the non-contact power feeding device of the present invention, sincethe relationships of the two inequalities mentioned above are satisfied,at least anyone power receiving element directly faces a power feedingelement at all times regardless of the position of the moving body. Theterm “directly face” signifies a positional relationship in which theentire length LR of a power receiving element in the movement directionis opposite a range of the length LT of a power feeding element in themovement direction. The power receiving element that directly faces apower feeding element gradually switches in accordance with movement ofthe moving body. At this time, the position of another power receivingelement can change depending on a combination of the lengths LT and LR,and the separation distances DT and DR, and the position of the movingbody. In other words, it is possible for the other power receivingelement to directly face the same power feeding element as the one powerreceiving element, to directly face another power feeding element, tooppose two power feeding elements in a straddled manner, to oppose anyone of the power feeding elements, or not to oppose any of the powerfeeding elements. The term “oppose” signifies a positional relationshipin which a portion of the length LR of a power receiving element in themovement direction is opposite a range of the length LT of a powerfeeding element in the movement direction. Therefore, a favorable powerreceiving state is ensured and at least one power receiving element canreceive a large amount of AC power at all times regardless of theposition of the other power receiving element. As a result of this, apulsing motion of the AC power received is suppressed, and it ispossible to perform stable non-contact power feeding at all times.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view that schematically describes a configuration of anon-contact power feeding device of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram that shows a detailed circuit configurationof a moving body side of the non-contact power feeding device.

FIG. 3 is a view that illustrates by way of example, a positionalrelationship in which one of two power receiving coils directly faces apower feeding coil and the other is in a straddled power receivingstate.

FIG. 4 is a view that schematically describes a configuration of anon-contact power feeding device of a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view that schematically describes a configuration of anon-contact power feeding device of a third embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS (1. Configuration of Non-Contact PowerFeeding Device 1 of First Embodiment)

A non-contact power feeding device 1 of a first embodiment of thepresent invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to3. FIG. 1 is a view that schematically describes a configuration of thenon-contact power feeding device 1 of the first embodiment. Thenon-contact power feeding device 1 of the first embodiment is assembledon a board production line 9, which corresponds to a fixed section. Asshown by FIG. 1, the board production line 9 is configured by threefirst to third board production machines 91, 92, and 93 being linearlyarranged. The left-right direction in FIG. 1 is a linear arrangementdirection of the first to third board production machines 91, 92, and93, and is also a movement direction of a moving body 99, which will bementioned later.

Each board production machine 91, 92, and 93 is modularized, and widthdimensions ML in the linear arrangement direction thereof areequivalent. The first to third board production machines 91, 92, and 93are configured so that alterations in the order of the lineararrangement positions and replacements with other modularized boardproduction machines can be made. The number of linearly arranged boardproduction machines that configure the board production line 9 may befour or more, and the board production line 9 is also compatible withmodule expansion for increasing the number of linearly arrangedmachines. Component mounting machines are can be included asillustrative examples of the first to third board production machines91, 92, and 93, but the invention is not limited to this configuration.

A guide rail 6, which extends in the linear arrangement direction, isinstalled in front of the first to third board production machines 91,92, and 93. The moving body 99 moves in the movement direction (thelinear arrangement direction of the first to third board productionmachines 91, 92, and 93) along the guide rail. The moving body 99 hasroles of carrying in equipment 71, members 72, and the like, that areused by each board production machine 91, 92, and 93 from a storagecontainer 7 and returning equipment 71, members 72, and the like, to thestorage container 7 after use.

The non-contact power feeding device 1 of the first embodiment is adevice that performs non-contact power feeding to the moving body 99from the first to third board production machines 91, 92, and 93. Thenon-contact power feeding device 1 is configured by AC power supplies 2,power feeding coils 31, and power feeding-side capacitors 35, which arerespectively provided in the first to third board production machines91, 92, and 93, as well as two power receiving coils 41. two powerreceiving-side capacitors 45, and a power receiving circuit 5, which areprovided in the moving body 99, and the like.

The three board production machines 91, 92, and 93 and configurations ofother modularized board production machines pertaining to thenon-contact power feeding device 1 are identical, and therefore, fromthis point onwards, description will be given by assigning detailedreference symbols to the first board production machine 91. The AC powersupply 2 generates an AC voltage and supplies the AC voltage to thepower feeding coil 31. It is preferable that the frequency of the ACvoltage by set as appropriate on the basis of a resonance frequency of apower feeding-side resonance circuit and a power receiving-sideresonance circuit, which will be mentioned later. The total of three ACpower supplies 2 provided in the three board production machines 91, 92,and 93 can be operated independently of one another.

For example, the AC power supply 2 can be configured using a DC powersupply section that outputs a DC voltage and a publicly-known bridgecircuit that AC converts the DC voltage. The AC power supply 2 includesa function of adjusting voltage value, frequency, phase, and the like. Afirst output terminal 21 of the AC power supply 2 is directly coupledwith one end 311 of the power feeding coil 31, and a second outputterminal 22 is connected to one end 351 of the power feeding-sidecapacitor 35.

The other end 352 of the power feeding-side capacitor 35 is connected tothe other end 312 of the power feeding coil 31. As a result of this, aclosed power feeding circuit is configured. The power feeding coil 31 isone form of a power feeding element. The power feeding coils 31 areprovided on the front face of each board production machine 91, 92, and93, and are configured in a symmetric shape at the front and back in aconveyance direction. The power feeding-side capacitor 35 is a resonanceelement that forms the power feeding-side resonance circuit by beingconnected in series to the power feeding coil 31.

The two power receiving coils 41 are installed, in the moving body 99,on a side face 98 that opposes the power feeding coils 31, and aredisposed spatially separated from one another in the movement direction.The power receiving coil 41 and the power feeding coil 31electromagnetically couple with one another, and non-contact powerfeeding is possible as a result of mutual inductance being generated.The power receiving coil 41 is one form of a power receiving element.One end 411 of the power receiving coil 41 is connected to one end 451of the power receiving-side capacitor 45 and one terminal 511 on theinput side of a rectifier circuit 51 that configures the power receivingcircuit 5. The other end 412 of the power receiving coil 41 is connectedto the other end 452 of the power receiving-side capacitor 45 and theother terminal 512 on the input side of the rectifier circuit 51. Thepower receiving-side capacitor 45 is a resonance element that forms apower receiving-side resonance circuit by being connected in parallel tothe power receiving coil 41.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram that shows a detailed circuit configurationof the moving body 99 of the non-contact power feeding device 1. Asillustrated in the drawing, the power receiving circuit 5 is configuredto include the rectifier circuits 51, which are provided individuallyfor the two power receiving coils 41, and a DC power supply circuit 55,which is provided commonly to the two power receiving coils 41. Therectifier circuit 51 is configured by a full-wave rectifier circuit 52,which is bridge connected to four rectifier diodes, and a smoothingcapacitor 53, which is connected to the output side of the full-waverectifier circuit 52. One terminal 513 and another terminal 514 on theoutput sides of the two rectifier circuits 51 are connected in parallelto the DC power supply circuit 55. The two rectifier circuits 51convert, into a DC voltage, AC power that the power receiving coil 41connected to the respective input side thereof receives by non-contactpower feeding, and output the DC voltage to the DC power supply circuit55.

The DC power supply circuit 55 adjusts a DC voltage having an unstablevoltage value, which is output from the rectifier circuits 51, to a DCdrive voltage having a largely fixed voltage, and outputs the DC drivevoltage to an electrical load 57 that is installed in the moving body99. For example, the electrical load 57 may include a driving source formovement of the moving body 99, for example, a linear motor, or thelike. A switching type or dropper type DC-DC converter are illustrativeexamples of the DC power supply circuit 55.

(2. Actions of Non-Contact Power Feeding Device 1 of First Embodiment)

Next, the magnitude relationships of the lengths of the power feedingcoils 31 and the power receiving coils 41 in the movement direction andthe separation distances between adjacent coils in the movementdirection, and the actions achieved by said magnitude relationships willbe described. As shown in FIG. 1, a length, in the movement direction,of the power feeding coils 31 on the board production line 9 side isdefined as LT, and a separation distance between power feeding coils 31is defined as DT. In addition, a length, in the movement direction, ofthe power receiving coils 41 on the moving body 99 side is defined asLR, and a separation distance between power receiving coils 41 isdefined as DR. The length LT of the power feeding coils 31 in themovement direction is slightly less than the width dimension ML of theboard production machines 91, 92, and 93.

In this instance, the relationship DT≤DR is satisfied. According to thisrelationship, a circumstance in which the two power receiving coils 41on the moving body 99 side are opposite regions between the smallseparation distances DT on the board production line 9 side does notoccur. Therefore, at least one of the two power receiving coils 41 isalways outside the ranges of the separation distance DT and directlyfacing a power feeding coil 31. The term “directly face” signifies apositional relationship in which the entire length LR of a powerreceiving coil 41 in the movement direction is opposite a range of thelength LT of a power feeding coil 31 in the movement direction.

In addition, the relationship (2×LR+DR)≤LT is satisfied. According tothis relationship, a time slot, in which the entire lengths LR of twopower receiving coils 41 in the movement direction oppose a range of thelength LT of a single power feeding coil 31 in the movement directionoccurs. In other words, there is a positional relationship in which twopower receiving coils 41 each directly face a single power feeding coil31 in accordance with movement of the moving body 99.

More specifically, in the positional relationship shown in FIG. 1, thepower receiving coil 41 on the left side in the drawing directly facesthe power feeding coil 31 of the first board production machine 91 andthe power receiving coil 41 on the right side in the drawing directlyfaces the power feeding coil 31 of the second board production machine92. In other words, there is a positional relationship in which onepower receiving coil 41 directly faces one power feeding coil 31 andanother power receiving coil 41 directly faces another power feedingcoil 31. At this time, the two power receiving coils 41 are both infavorable power receiving states, and as shown by the arrows P1 and P2,it is possible to receive a large amount of AC power. Further, the ACpower received by the two power receiving coils 41 is summed by the DCpower supply circuit 55 after being rectified. As a result of this, alarge amount of DC power, which is equivalent to the AC power receivedby the two power receiving coils 41, is supplied to the electrical load57.

When the moving body 99 moves in the right direction from the positionalrelationship of FIG. 1, the power receiving coil 41 on the right sidestill directly faces the power feeding coil 31 of the second boardproduction machine 92. In contrast to this, the power receiving coil 41on the left side opposes the power feeding coil 31 of the first boardproduction machine 91 in a state of deviating from the front facethereof. The term “oppose” signifies a positional relationship in whicha portion of the length LR of a power receiving coil 41 in the movementdirection is opposite a range of the length LT of a power feeding coil31 in the movement direction. In a power receiving coil 41 in anopposing state, the AC power received decreases in conjunction with adecrease from a directly facing state in the opposing area that isopposite a power feeding coil 31.

Furthermore, when the moving body 99 moves in the right direction, thepositional relationship shown in FIG. 3 is attained. FIG. 3 is a viewthat illustrates by way of example, a positional relationship in whichone of two power receiving coils 41 directly faces a power feeding coil31 and the other is in a straddled power receiving state. In FIG. 3, thepower receiving coil 41 on the right side directly faces the powerfeeding coil 31 of the second board production machine 92. The powerreceiving coil 41 on the left side is positioned between the first andsecond board production machines 91 and 92, and opposes two powerfeeding coils 31 in a straddled manner.

The extent of the AC power that the power receiving coil 41 in thestraddled power receiving state receives is dependent on the positionalrelationship of the two opposing power feeding coils 31, and thefrequency, phase, and the like, of the two AC power supplies 2.Accordingly, it is not considered that the power receiving coil 41 in astraddled power receiving state is in a favorable power receiving state.For example, if the two AC power supplies 2 have opposite phases in asimilar manner to the technique of PTL 1, the actions of magnetic fluxesformed by the two power feeding coils 31 that face the power receivingcoil 41 in a straddled power receiving state negate one another, and thepower receiving state is reduced. If the frequencies and phases of thetwo AC power supplies 2 match, the power receiving state of the powerreceiving coil 41 in a straddled power receiving state is improved.

Meanwhile, the power receiving coil 41 on the right side in the drawingstill directly faces the power feeding coil 31 of the second boardproduction machine 92. Therefore, the power receiving coil 41 on theright side retains a favorable power receiving state, and as shown bythe arrow P3, it is possible to receive a large amount of AC power.Accordingly, at the very least, the large amount of AC power received bythe power receiving coil 41 on the right side in a favorable powerreceiving state is ensured.

When the moving body 99 moves further in the right direction from thepositional relationship of FIG. 3, a positional relationship in whichthe two power receiving coils 41 directly face the power feeding coil 31of the second board production machine 92 is attained. At this time, thetwo power receiving coils 41 are in a favorable power receiving state inwhich the magnetic flux induced by a single power feeding coil 31 isshared. Accordingly, a larger amount of AC power than that of: thepositional relationship shown in FIG. 3 is ensured. When the moving body99 moves still further in the right direction, on this occasion, thedirectly facing state of the power receiving coil 41 on the left side isretained, and the power receiving coil 41 on the right side changes froma directly facing state to an opposing state, or a straddled powerreceiving state. Thereafter, a positional relationship in which thepower receiving coil 41 on the left side directly faces the powerfeeding coil 31 of the second board production machine 92, and the powerreceiving coil 41 on the right side directly faces the power feedingcoil 31 of the third board production machine 93 is attained.

As can be understood from the above-mentioned positional relationships,in the first embodiment, the power receiving coil 41 that, directlyfaces a power feeding coil 31 gradually switches in accordance withmovement of the moving body 99. Despite this, a favorable powerreceiving state in which at least any one of the power receiving coils41 directly faces a power feeding coil 31 at all times is ensured.

In addition, even if alterations in the order of the linear arrangementpositions of the first to third board production machines 91, 92, and 93or replacements with other modularized board production machines areperformed, the disposition on the board production line 9 side that isshown in FIG. 1 is retained. In other words, even if the lineconfiguration of the board production line 9 is altered, theconfiguration of the non-contact power feeding device 1 is not alteredand a favorable power receiving state is ensured. Furthermore, when theboard production line 9 is made compatible with module expansion inwhich the number of linearly arranged machines is four or more, thelength LT and the separation distance DT of the power feeding coil 31are also identical values in an expanded portion. Accordingly, even whenthe board production line 9 is made compatible with module extension, afavorable power receiving state is ensured in the non-contact powerfeeding device 1.

In addition, the AC power supplies 2 are respectively provided in thethree board production machines 91, 92, and 93, and can be operatedindependently of one another. Accordingly, the individual AC powersupplies 2 can be low capacity and compact, and therefore, there are fewrestrictions on the spaces in which the board production machines 91,92, and 93 are installed. Furthermore, it is possible to stop the ACpower supply 2 in a board production machine that is separated from themoving body 99. For example, at the times of the positionalrelationships shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, it is possible to stop the ACpower supply 2 in the third board production machine 93.

(3. Aspects and Effects of Non-Contact Power Feeding Device 1 of FirstEmbodiment)

The non-contact power feeding device 1 of the first embodiment isprovided with the multiple power feeding coils 31 (power feedingelements) that are disposed spatially separated from one another in amovement direction set in the board production line 9 (fixed section),the AC power supplies 2 that supply AC power to each power feeding coil31, the power receiving coils 41 (power receiving elements) that areprovided in the moving body 99, which moves in the movement direction,that are electrically coupled to the power feeding coils 31, and thatreceive AC power in a non-contact manner, and the power receivingcircuit 5 that converts AC power received by the power receiving coils41, and that generates a drive voltage and outputs the drive voltage tothe electrical load 57 provided in the moving body 99, multiple thepower receiving coils 41 are disposed spatially separated from oneanother in the movement direction of the moving body 99, and when alength of the power feeding coils 31 in the movement direction isdefined as LT, a separation distance between the power feeding coils 31is defined as DT, a length of the power receiving coils 41 in themovement direction is defined as LR, and a separation distance betweenthe power receiving coils 41 is defined as DR, the relationship DT≤DRand the relationship (2×LR+DR)≤LT are satisfied.

According to this configuration, at least any one power receiving coil41 directly faces a power feeding coil 31 at all times regardless of theposition of the moving body 99. Accordingly, in at least one powerreceiving coil 41, a favorable power receiving state is ensured and alarge amount of AC power can be received at all times. As a result ofthis, a pulsing motion of the AC power received is suppressed, and it ispossible to perform stable non-contact power feeding at all times.

Furthermore, in the non-contact power feeding device 1 of the firstembodiment, there is a positional relationship in which, in accordancewith the movement of the moving body 99, one among multiple powerreceiving coils 41 directly faces one among multiple power feeding coils31 and another among the multiple power receiving coils 41 directlyfaces another among the multiple power feeding coils 31. At this time,the two power receiving coils 41 are both in favorable power receivingstates, a large amount of AC power is ensured.

In addition, in the non-contact power feeding device 1 of the firstembodiment, there is a positional relationship in which two adjacentpower receiving coils 41 each directly face a single power feeding coil31 in accordance with movement of the moving body 99. At this time, thetwo power receiving coils 41 are in a favorable power receiving state inwhich the magnetic flux induced by a single power feeding coil 31 isshared, and a large amount of AC power is ensured.

Furthermore, the AC power supply 2 is composed of multiple AC powersupplies that are provided individually for the multiple power feedingcoils 31 and operate in a mutually independent manner. According to thisconfiguration, since the individual AC power supplies 2 can be lowcapacity and compact, there are few restrictions on arrangement space.Furthermore, since it is possible to stop an AC power supply 2 thatsupplies AC power to a power feeding coil 31 that is separated from themoving body 99, the generated loss is reduced.

Furthermore, the power receiving circuit 5 is provided individually forthe multiple power receiving coils 41 and includes multiple rectifiercircuits 51 that convert the AC power received by the power receivingcoils 41 into a DC drive voltage and output the DC drive voltage, andthe output side of each of the rectifier circuits 51 is connected inparallel to the electrical load 57. According to this circuitconfiguration, it is possible to drive the electrical load 57 by usingthe AC power received by at least one of the power receiving coils 41 ina favorable power receiving state. Accordingly, a power accumulatingelement (battery) and a charging circuit that are used in the techniqueof PTL 2, and the like, are rendered unnecessary.

Furthermore, the non-contact power feeding device 1 of the firstembodiment is further provided with the power receiving-side capacitor45 and the power feeding-side capacitor 35 (resonance elements) thatform a resonance circuit by being connected to the power receiving coils41 and the power feeding coils 31. According to this configuration, ahigh power feeding efficiency is obtained using resonancecharacteristics.

Furthermore, the power receiving elements are configured as the powerreceiving coils 41 and the power feeding elements are configured as thepower feeding coils 31. According to this configuration, stablenon-contact power feeding can be performed at all times by theelectromagnetic coupling type non-contact power feeding device 1.

Furthermore, the fixed section is the board production line 9 in whichthe multiple board production machines 91 to 93 are linearly arrangedand the movement direction is set in the linear arrangement direction ofthe multiple board production machines 91 to 93, and the multiple powerfeeding coils 31 are disposed so as to have the same number as themultiple board production machines 91 to 93. According to thisconfiguration, in all of the cases of alterations in the order of thelinear arrangement positions of the first to third board productionmachines 91, 92, and 93, replacements with other modularized boardproduction machines, and being made compatible with module expansion inwhich the number of linearly arranged machines is four or more, afavorable power receiving state is ensured in the non-contact powerfeeding device 1. Accordingly, when the line configuration of the boardproduction line 9 is changed, or when the board production line 9 ismade compatible with module expansion, the setup changing work for thenon-contact power feeding device 1 is simple.

(4. Non-Contact Power Feeding Device 1A of Second Embodiment)

Next, a non-contact power feeding device 1A of a second embodiment willbe described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. FIG.4 is a view that schematically describes a configuration of thenon-contact power feeding device 1A of the second embodiment. Thenon-contact power feeding device 1A of the second embodiment has asimilar configuration to that of the first embodiment, but lengths Ltand Lr of the power feeding coils 31 and the power receiving coils 41 inthe movement direction and separation distances Dt and Dr betweenadjacent coils in the movement direction are different from the firstembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, a length, in the movement direction, of the powerfeeding coils 31 on the board production line 9 side is defined as Lt,and a separation distance between power feeding coils 31 is defined asDt. In addition, a length, in the movement direction, of the powerreceiving coils 41 on the moving body 99 side is defined as Lr, and aseparation distance between power receiving coils 41 is defined as Dr.In this instance, the relationship Dt≤Dr is satisfied in a similarmanner to the first embodiment, and a relationship (2×Lr+Dr)≤Lt is alsosatisfied. Accordingly, in the second embodiment, at least any one powerreceiving coil 41 directly faces a power feeding coil 31 at all timesregardless of the position of the moving body 99.

FIG. 4 illustrates by way of example, a positional relationship in whichthe power receiving coil 41 on the left side in the drawing opposes thepower feeding coil 31 of the first board production machine 91 and thepower receiving coil 41 on the right side in the drawing directly facesthe power feeding coil 31 of the second board production machine 92. Inthe positional relationship of FIG. 4, as shown by the arrow P4, thepower receiving coil 41 on the left side receives a slightly smalleramount of AC power than a directly facing state from the power feedingcoil 31 of the first board production machine 91. In addition, the powerreceiving coil 41 on the right side receives a large amount of AC powerfrom the power feeding coil 31 of the second board production machine92.

In addition, in the second embodiment, a relationship of Lr≤Dt that isdifferent from that of the first embodiment is satisfied. In otherwords, the length Lr of the power receiving coils 41 in the movementdirection is configured to be less than or equal to the separationdistance Dt between the power feeding coils 31. In this configuration,since a straddled power receiving state of the power receiving coils 41does not occur, it is no longer necessary to take shifts in frequencyand shifts in phase between the multiple AC power supplies 2 intoconsideration.

The non-contact power feeding device 1A of the second embodiment isprovided with the multiple power feeding coils 31 (power feedingelements) that are disposed spatially separated from one another in amovement direction set in the board production line 9 (fixed section),the AC power supplies 2 that supply AC power to each power feeding coil31, the power receiving coils 41 (power receiving elements) that areprovided in the moving body 99, which moves in the movement direction,that are electrically coupled to the power feeding coils 31 that arepositioned in an opposing manner, and that receive AC power in anon-contact manner, and the power receiving circuit 5 that converts ACpower received by the power receiving coils 41, and that generates adrive voltage and outputs the drive voltage to the electrical load 57provided in the moving body 99, in which multiple the power receivingcoils 41 are disposed spatially separated from one another in themovement direction of the moving body 99 so as to have a positionalrelationship that directly faces the power feeding coil 31 in accordancewith movement of the moving body 99, and so that it is not possible tosimultaneously oppose two adjacent power feeding coils 31.

According to this configuration, since a straddled power receiving stateof the power receiving coils 41 does not occur, it is no longernecessary to take shifts in frequency and shifts in phase between themultiple AC power supplies 2 into consideration.

(5. Non-Contact Power Feeding Device 1B of Third Embodiment)

Next, a non-contact power feeding device 1B of a third embodiment willbe described focusing on the differences from the first and secondembodiments. FIG. 5 is a view that schematically describes aconfiguration of the non-contact power feeding device 1B of the thirdembodiment. The non-contact power feeding device 1B of the thirdembodiment is also assembled on a board production line 9B, but there isone power receiving coil 41 on the moving body 99 side. In addition,lengths LS and LC, and the like, of the power feeding coils 31 and thepower receiving coil 41 in the movement direction are altered from thoseof the first and second embodiments. In the third embodiment, converseto the first and second embodiments, the power receiving coil 41 islonger than the power feeding coils 31.

As shown in FIG. 5, the single power receiving coil 41 is installed, inthe moving body 99, on the side face 98 that opposes the power feedingcoils 31. Both ends of the power receiving coil 41 are connected to apower receiving-side capacitor 45 and are connected to the input side ofa rectifier circuit 51 that configures a power receiving circuit 5B. Theoutput side of the rectifier circuit 51 is connected to a DC powersupply circuit 55. Meanwhile, a total of three AC power supplies 2 thatare provided in three board production machines 91, 92, and 93 arecontrolled so that the frequencies and phases thereof coincide in powerfeeding coils 31 in the vicinity of the of the moving body 99.

In this instance, the length LS, in the movement direction, of the powerfeeding coils 31 on the board production line 9B side is altered to besmaller than the length LT in the first embodiment. In accordance withthis, a separation distance DS between the power feeding coils 31 islarger than the separation distance DT in the first embodiment. Inaddition, the length LC, in the movement direction, of the powerreceiving coil 41 on the moving body 99 side is altered to be largerthan the length LR in the first embodiment.

Further, a relationship LS<LC is satisfied. According to thisrelationship, there is a positional relationship in which the powerreceiving coil 41 directly faces the power feeding coil 31, and it ispossible to ensure a favorable power receiving state. In this instance,the term “directly face” signifies a positional relationship in whichthe entire length LS of a power feeding coil 31 in the movementdirection is opposite a range of the length LR of the power receivingcoil 41 in the movement direction. A broader meaning of “directly face”is that the entirety of the shorter of the power receiving coil 41 and apower feeding coil 31 is opposite a range of the larger thereof.

Furthermore, a relationship DS<LC is satisfied. According to thisrelationship, the power receiving coil 41 is either in a state ofdirectly facing or opposing a power feeding coil 31, or in a straddledpower receiving state of opposing at least a portion of each of twopower feeding coils 31. Even in the straddled power receiving state,since the frequencies and phases of the two AC power supplies 2 thatsupply AC voltages to the two power feeding coils 31 are coincide, thepower receiving state of the power receiving coil 41 is favorable, ifthe relationship DS<LC is not satisfied, there is a positionalrelationship in which the entire length LC of the power receiving coil41 in the movement direction enters the separation distance DS betweentwo power feeding coils 31. At this time, it is no longer possible forthe power receiving coil 41 to interlink, with the magnetic fluxesformed by the power feeding coils 31. Accordingly, in the powerreceiving coil 41, the power receiving state deteriorates and the ACpower received decreases significantly.

More specifically, in the positional relationship shown in FIG. 5, thepower receiving coil 41 is in a straddled power receiving state of beingopposite a portion of the power feeding coil 31 of the first boardproduction machine 91 and a portion of the power feeding coil 31 of thesecond board production machine 92. Accordingly, as shown by the arrowsP6 and P7, the power receiving coil 41 can respectively receive AC powerfrom the two power feeding coils 31.

The non-contact power feeding device 1B of the third embodiment isprovided with the multiple power feeding coils 31 (power feedingelements) that are disposed spatially separated from one another in amovement direction established in the board production line 9B (fixedsection), the AC power supplies 2 that supply AC power to the powerfeeding coils 31 that are positioned in an opposing manner, the powerreceiving coil 41 (power receiving element) that is provided in themoving body 99, which moves in the movement direction, that iselectrically coupled to the power feeding coils 31, and that receives ACpower in a non-contact manner, and the power receiving circuit 5B thatconverts AC power received by the power receiving coil 41, and thatgenerates a drive voltage and outputs the drive voltage to theelectrical load 57 provided in the moving body 99, and when a length ofthe power feeding coils 31 in the movement direction is defined as LS, aseparation distance between the power feeding coils 31 is defined as DS,and a length of the power receiving coil 41 in the movement direction isdefined as LC, the relationship LS<LC and the relationship DS<LC aresatisfied.

According to this configuration, since the power receiving coil 41always opposes a portion of at least one power feeding coil 31, apulsing motion in which the AC power received decreases significantlydoes not occur. Accordingly, in comparison with a case in which thesecondary-side power feeding transformer moves in the region of theseparation distance D in the technique of PTL 2, a favorable powerreceiving state is retained, and it is possible to perform stablenon-contact power feeding at all times.

Furthermore, the AC power supply 2 is composed of multiple AC powersupplies that are provided individually for the multiple power feedingcoils 31 and are controlled so that the frequencies and phases match oneanother in power feeding coils 31 that are in the vicinity of the of themoving body 99. According to this configuration, it is possible to makethe power receiving state of the power receiving coil 41 in a straddledpower receiving state favorable. In addition, since the individual ACpower supplies 2 can be low capacity and compact, there are fewrestrictions on arrangement space. Furthermore, since it is possible tostop an AC power supply 2 that supplies AC power to a power feeding coil31 that is separated from the moving body 99, the generated loss isreduced.

(6. Applications and Modifications of Embodiments)

Additionally, in the first and second embodiments, it is possible todispose two power feeding coils 31 lined up in the movement direction ofthe front face of each board production machine 91, 92, and 93. In thiscase, in the AC power supplies 2 supply an AC voltage to both ends towhich two power feeding coils 31 are electrically connected in series orconnected in parallel. Meanwhile, it is possible to have more than twopower receiving coils 41 on the moving body 99 side. In a case in whichthere are three power receiving coils 41, as long as the relationshipsof the above-mentioned two inequalities are satisfied, at least, any onepower receiving coil 41 directly faces a power feeding coil 31 at alltimes. Furthermore, in a case in which there are four power receivingcoils 41, as long as the relationships of the above-mentioned twoinequalities are satisfied, at least any two power receiving coil 41directly face a power feeding coil 31 at all times.

Additionally, the type of the non-contact power feeding is not limitedto an electromagnetic coupling type that uses the power feeding coil 31and the power receiving coil 41, and for example, a capacitive couplingsystem that uses a power feeding electrode and a power receivingelectrode may also be used. Various other applications and modificationsare also possible in the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

In addition to the board production lines 9 and 9B described in theembodiments, the non-contact power feeding device of the presentinvention can also be applied to a broad range of fields such asassembly lines and processing lines that produce other products, andpower feeding during travel of an electrically driven vehicle.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1, 1A, 1B: Non-contact power feeding device,

2: AC power supply,

31: Power feeding coil (power feeding element),

35: Power feeding-side capacitor,

41: Power receiving coil (power receiving element),

45: Power receiving-side capacitor,

5, 5B: Power receiving circuit,

51: Rectifier circuit,

55: DC power supply circuit,

57: Electrical load,

9, 9B: Board production line (fixed section),

91, 92, 93: First to third board production machine,

99: Moving body,

LT, Lt, LS: Length of power feeding coils in movement direction,

DT, Dt, DS: Separation distance between power feeding coils,

LR, Lr, LC: Length of power receiving coil in movement direction,

DR, Dr: Separation distance between power receiving coils

1. A board production line comprising: a plurality of board productionmachines, the board production machines being linearly arranged along alinear arrangement direction and being modularized; a guide rail whichextends in the linear arrangement direction; a moving body movable inthe linear arrangement direction along the guide rail and configured toconvey equipment and members used in each of the board productionmachines; a plurality of power feeding elements disposed spatially atthe board production machines; a plurality of power receiving elementsdisposed spatially at the moving body such that at least one of thepower receiving elements always opposes a portion of at least one of thepower feeding elements and receives power from the at least one of thepower feeding elements; and a driving source configured to move themoving body using the received power.
 2. The board production lineaccording to claim 1, further comprising an AC power supply configuredto supply AC power to each of the power feeding elements.
 3. The boardproduction line according to claim 2, wherein the AC power supply iscomposed of a plurality of AC power supplies provided individually foreach of the plurality of power feeding elements and configured tooperate in a mutually independent manner.
 4. The board production lineaccording to claim 2, further comprising a power receiving circuitconfigured to convert the AC power into a drive voltage, wherein thedriving source is configured to move the moving body using the drivevoltage.
 5. The board production line according to claim 3, furthercomprising a power receiving circuit configured to convert the AC powerinto a drive voltage, wherein the driving source is configured to movethe moving body using the drive voltage.
 6. The board production lineaccording to claim 4, wherein the power receiving circuit includes: aplurality of rectifier circuits provided individually for each of theplurality of power receiving elements and configured to convert the ACpower into DC power; and a DC power supply circuit configured to convertthe DC power into the drive voltage.
 7. The board production lineaccording to claim 5, wherein the power receiving circuit includes: aplurality of rectifier circuits provided individually for each of theplurality of power receiving elements and configured to convert the ACpower into DC power; and a DC power supply circuit configured to convertthe DC power into the drive voltage.
 8. The board production lineaccording to claim 1, further comprising a resonance element connectedto at least one of the power receiving elements and the power feedingelements.
 9. The board production line according to claim 6, furthercomprising a resonance element connected to at least one of the powerreceiving elements and the power feeding elements.
 10. The boardproduction line according to claim 7, further comprising a resonanceelement connected to at least one of the power receiving elements andthe power feeding elements.
 11. The board production line according toclaim 1, wherein each of the power receiving elements is a powerreceiving coil, and each of the power feeding elements is a powerfeeding coil.
 12. The board production line according to claim 9,wherein each of the power receiving elements is a power receiving coil,and each of the power feeding elements is a power feeding coil.
 13. Theboard production line according to claim 10, wherein each of the powerreceiving elements is a power receiving coil, and each of the powerfeeding elements is a power feeding coil.
 14. The board production lineaccording to claim 1, wherein a total number of the power feedingelements is equal to a total number of the board production machines.15. The board production line according to claim 12 wherein a totalnumber of the power feeding elements is equal to a total number of theboard production machines.
 16. The board production line according toclaim 13, wherein a total number of the power feeding elements is equalto a total number of the board production machines.
 17. The boardproduction line according to claim 1, wherein the driving sourceincludes a linear motor.
 18. The board production line according toclaim 6, wherein the DC power supply circuit is a switching type ordropper type DC-DC converter.
 19. The board production line according toclaim 7, wherein the DC power supply circuit is a switching type ordropper type DC-DC converter.